The Rundown - Christmas Wishes

Unofficially, today is just a Saturday which means The Rundown is a day early from it's normal Sunday spot. As you know, this isn't just some routine weekend, though, as Christmas Eve lands tomorrow and Christmas comes on Monday. If you're a Seinfeld fan, today is Festivus which should bring some chuckles for those who remember the episode known as "The Strike", but The Rundown on a Saturday is something rare because there are usually games being played on Saturday evening. We're going to have some fun on the lone Saturday edition of the weekly article as I sit down and take a look at the needs for each of the teams and figure what has to happen in the second-half for each to make the postseason or strengthen their position when it comes to postseason success. Today, we look at Christmas wishes for all nine Canada West teams on The Rundown!

Let's be clear in that whatever is written below means absolutely squat to anyone because the coaches, players, and staff of each team certainly know more than I do about what makes each team tick. I'm simply looking at numbers and trends when writing this Christmas wish list, and what I identify as a place for improvement might be completely opposite from how the teams feel. This is why I write a blog and haven't been hired by any teams - what I see could be significantly different than what the coaches see! In short, take all suggestions with a grain of salt, but know that I've done the reading and the math so there's some basis for these suggestions despite how wrong they may prove to be.

Here is one Christmas wish per team as identified by this writer.

It's hard to identify some necessity for a team that's riding six-straight shutouts, has the leading goal scorer, and has one of the better power-plays, but depth scoring can always be used by good teams. You might chuckle at that suggestion, but getting Madison Willan, Hayleigh Craig, and Bree Kennedy scoring more regularly at 5-on-5 will certainly make the Pandas more dangerous. Both Willan and Craig have been solid on the power-play and have been good defensively, but would anyone expect them to be seventh- and ninth-place in scoring on their own team? Depth scoring will help immensely in the playoffs as well, and the Pandas want to be in Saskatoon in March.

CHRISTMAS WISH: More depth scoring.

I feel like I write this every year for the Dinos, but the Dinos can score, they get great contributions from the kids, and their defenders jump into the play. The one thing they need to jump ahead of the teams surrounding them? Consistent goaltending. As it stands, six teams have statistically better goaltending than what the Dinos are boasting at the midway point, and that can't be their reality if they want to make some noise in the postseason. Gabriella Durante has played the most games of any netminder, but she ranks sixth in wins. We saw her drive the Dinos to the playoffs last season with an incredible second half, and it may have to be that way again. If you want play with the best, one of their traits is consistent goaltending. The Dinos need that if they want a shot at playing in Saskatoon in March.

CHRISTMAS WISH: Consistent goaltending consistently.

People might think I'm going to take another swipe at one person, but these wishes are for the team and throwing punches at someone won't put you on Santa's Nice List. In saying that, I get that the Griffins have gone through some trying times, so this wish is simple: belief. The Griffins have a virtually impossible climb if they want to make the playoffs, but it starts with believing that they can make that climb. From there, they need to believe in themselves in spite of what some have said or written. That belief in themselves needs to be carried into practice and into each shift of every game. Yes, there will be setbacks, but it starts with every player in that room looking around the room and believing in each other and believing they can win any game. I believe there's enough talent on their roster for them to make the playoffs, and they need to believe that as well.

CHRISTMAS WISH: Self-confidence and the belief in their abilities.

We've seen teams go through a number of changes in a season, but the first four games of the Bisons' season looks nothing like it does now outisde of one aspect. They're scoring goals, they're finding chemistry with good lines, they're seeing their coaching tandem gain valuable experience - things have improved outside of one thing. That one change they need? A power-play. There is no way a roster with the amount of offensive talent on it should only have four power-play goals, but that's the reality. If Manitoba could have scored a few more power-play goals, it may have had a positive change to where they sit in the standings. If they want that change to happen, it's gotta come in the second half of the season. Figuring out how to fill the net while on the advantage likely will change Manitoba's fortunes.

CHRISTMAS WISH: Make the power-play powerful.

Giving advice to the defending U SPORTS National Champions seems a little ignorant on my part, but improvements can always be found for even the best teams. Mount Royal does't have many problems, but the one thing they could do is tighten up defensively in the second half of the season. Of the top-four teams in the conference, they have surrendered the most goals despite scoring the second-most goals, so that differential needs to grow. We saw them lock down the defensive zone when they got to Montreal last season, and that's what the Cougars will need to do if they want to return to Saskatoon to defend that championship!

CHRISTMAS WISH: Tighter defensive play in their own zone.

The Regina Cougars have shown all sorts of spunk in getting back into the race this season, sitting a point back of fifth-place in the conference. Again, it's hard to tell a team who is charging up the standings on where they should improve, but Regina has to find more goal scorers on their roster. Paige Hubbard, Makena Kushniruk, and Kaitlyn Gilroy have scored half of Regina's goals this season despite the team having 12 players who have recorded a goal. Those three have been reliable, but the Cougars can help themselves in a quest for a postseason berth by having more players dent twine regularly at 5-on-5. Scoring more regularly would take some pressure off the defence as well.

CHRISTMAS WISH: More scoring from all positions.

The Huskies are already scheduled to play at Nationals in March thanks to them having the host duties, but the Huskies aren't interested in going in as also-rans. Dropping games to teams trailing them in the standings doesn't help their cause, and that can't happen if they're going to make a serious run at the Canada West banner. Saskatchewan lost games to Regina, Trinity Western, and Calgary this season despite beating Alberta, UBC, and Mount Royal. In other words, they split weekends where they should have won while beating the teams they're going to have to beat en route to a banner. The Huskies have to be ready to compete every weekend if they want to win the National Championship on home ice this year, and it starts by beating the teams you're supposed to beat in the second half of the schedule.

CHRISTMAS WISH: Be ready to compete against all teams.

The Spartans are an interesting case of feast or famine when one looks at their season so far. They're 3-3 in games decided by three-or-more goals and 2-2 in games decided by one goal. They've pitched one shutout where they won 3-0, but lost two games where the opposition recorded a shutout where the combined score was 3-0. In short, Trinity Western can score, but they score in inconsistent bunches. In the playoffs, that's a problem as a short three-game series can be over quickly if a team cannot score with some regular frequency. Giving up bunches of goals doesn't help either, but it seems like the Spartans can solve both problems by scoring more frequently.

CHRISTMAS WISH: Consistent scoring more often.

UBC is the defending Canada West champion, and they've had a solid hold on the top spot in the conference for some time. After a bit of a wake-up call against Alberta in Week One, the Thunderbirds went on a tear until they ran into Mount Royal at the start of November. Since the start of November, they're 4-1-1-2 including shootout losses to both Mount Royal and Saskatchewan and a regulation loss to Calgary. There's some complacency that creeps into how a team plays after winning so much, and it seems like UBC may be experiencing that. We've seen them enter Nationals in the past two seasons and only return home with a bronze medal, so UBC has to find a way to maintain their scoring ways even when teams lock down the defensive zone. Greasy goals look just as good as highlight-reel goals, so the Thunderbirds need to adapt to tighter defensive games.

CHRISTMAS WISH: Win ugly sometimes.

I fully admit that none of these suggestions will solve every team's problems and send them up the standings, but these are changes that likely will have big impacts on the overall successes of these teams. Of course, eight teams can't win every night they play in the second half, but making these suggestions into habit will help with long-term success. Bad habits are hard to break, good habits are hard to maintain, but making those good habits part of the routine will mean they become a normal part of the team culture.

Being that today is December 23, though, we still have two weeks before Canada West women's hockey returns. Until teams get back on the ice, forget about hockey, settle into the holiday spirit with family and friends, be kind to one another, and find the good in people and situations. Not everyone reading will celebrate Christmas which is totally fine, but there over 20 holidays celebrated in December. Everyone should be able to find something to celebrate within those holidays based on their backgrounds, so make it a point to bring people together.

There will be one more edition of The Rundown before we break open a new calendar, but the next two days will be quiet on HBIC as I put hockey on hold, gather with family and friends, and enjoy the Christmas season to its fullest extent. Merry Christmas to you and yours if you celebrate, Happy Holidays to those who do not, and all the best to you and yours during this time. Thanks for reading The Rundown to hear one idiot's views on the state of university hockey in Canada West, and my hope if that you and yours have a safe and sound holiday season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!